Hobby: Cosplay
by M.JS.KK
Summary: One-Shot Collection: Japan really needed to stop telling the other countries he was friends with about her, especially since she had developed a strong cosplaying streak.
1. Chapter 1

_Inuyasha_ © Takahashi, Rumiko  
_Hetalia – Axis Powers_ © Himaruya, Hidekaz

"…_I forgot to feed mein sticky friend…" –Germany (Dub)_

"_But color is not the issue here, it's dignity, it's class  
__It's all about her heart, okay it's partly about that ass" –Stephen Lynch_

* * *

Kagome twirled in the traditional garb of a miko, making the chore of caring for the Higure Shrine something enjoyable. Pausing, she reached up to the headband she donned that was accessorized with cat ears – both of which matched her hair perfectly – lightly squealing with delight. It wasn't long after her journey had ended that she had discovered the love that was cosplay, quickly taking to any and all characters with some sort of animal appendages; being around Inuyasha for a while had fine tuned her to adore the ears he had and wish that she had a pair of her own.

Having gotten through high school with mediocre grades from the constant trips to the past, she took up a job for experience and to save while she had studied for the exam to enter college. What money she saved, Kagome put forward to buying anything that she couldn't make for costumes for anime conventions or just get togethers that she had with some new friends she had met at the exam, and when it slipped that she cosplayed, it didn't take long for them to talk about any upcoming events or who they had the most fun being.

Kagome had taken the headband out of her bag when they asked her, responding that anyone with animal appendages were her favourite. Among her and her friends, she had quickly become dubbed as the 'Cat-girl Maid' from her accumulating maid outfits in her closet that she handmade herself with help from her mother. However, she wasn't just a maid; she was the Cheshire Cat from _Pandora Heart_ or even a female version of Ikuto and Yoru from _Shugo Chara_.

Humming to herself, Kagome danced to her own tune with the broom as a mock partner; the jewel swayed with her dancing body, resting peacefully on the chains connected to the black velvet choker. Eyes closed, she held the cleaning tool in front of herself with one hand and bowed to it when her humming came to an end, grinning all the while. Righting herself, she looked at the shrine grounds, critically looking for any dirty spot that she may have missed – and when she found none, she made her way back to the house.

The day was nice out, the summer breeze blowing about, winding around what was in its path. Eyes on the ground, following her feet under the red hakama, it was no surprise that she missed the foreigner on the grounds. Reaching the front door without any run-ins or clumsiness, Kagome rested the broom by the door; stretching her arms above her head while cracking her neck. Glancing over to her right, blue eyes manage to catch a glimpse of a visitor.

Letting her arms fall to her sides, Kagome made her way over to the confused-looking man, taking in his appearance as she went. He had wavy brown hair with an ahoge that curled in two different directions, green eyes with a small bit of laziness to them as well as interest. His olive skin clashed nicely with his white tee shirt, complimenting his brown pants and matching jacket that he was carrying.

"Ohayoo gozaimasu."

The man looked up at her, blinking slowly, before looking like he was thinking something over – Kagome noted that he wasn't looking at her face, but rather at the top of her head. The miko tilted her head to the side as she waited, not sure if he was having trouble speaking or didn't know how to respond; still, she continued to greet the man nevertheless.

"Ogenki desu ka?"

The brunette took out a book that she had not spotted earlier, looking through the pages for probably a translation and maybe a response to her inquiry. The silence was slightly awkward for the female as she waited, already used to foreigners having difficulty speaking or understanding her.

The waiting paid off after a few minutes when the man responded in an accented response with slight mispronunciations, "Ohayoo. Genki desu."

Kagome smiled at the man, switching to English to strengthen her usage of it, "You're welcome. Might I inquire about the nature of your visit?"

The foreigner closed the book, tucking it under his arms with his coat slowly, "I heard about this shrine from a friend of mine."

The teenager made a small noise of curiosity, it wasn't often that people recommender her family's shrine to other people – it being more of a local knowledge – but there were the few that weren't from around here and came, often leaving satisfied with what they learned at the shrine or the festivals held there. However, the man was distracted by the calico cat known as Buyo rubbing herself against the brown pants of the man's ankles, purring loudly in hopes of being pet.

The green-eyed male smiled and bent down, patting the feline's head, scratching behind the two-colored ears, Buyo's purring increased as light green eyes closed in bliss from the attention. Kagome hugged her legs with one arm as she bent down to pet her cat, nails lightly trailing down her spine – making the calico raise her tail and hind end.

"By the way, I'm Higurashi, Kagome."

The brunette looked at her, "Karpusi, Heracles."

"Would you like some tea or a tour, perhaps?"

Standing, the man picked up Buyo with his free hand, Buyo being more than willing to be held by the person who paid her attention. Heracles readjusted the translation book and his jacket under his other arm, "Some tea, please."

Nodding, Kagome gestured politely for him to follow her, leading him to the main house, grabbing the broom from its resting spot next to the door, while entering and taking off her shoes at the entrance of the house, slipping on a pair of house slippers. Being a courteous host, the blue-eyed miko took his jacket and translation book from him, hanging the jacket up by the door.

She led him to the living room after he took off his own shoes, Buyo still in his grasp as he took a seat on the couch. Kagome gave him a small bow, looking at him from under her thick fringe, "I'll be right back to put the tea on. Feel free to turn on the television if you like."

Heracles nodded the calico securely in his lap, her eyes closed as he resumed petting her once he was situated on the couch. The room he was in was modest, reminding him greatly of Japan's own home – though it doesn't come as a surprise that there's some influence from his people. The Grecian smiled to himself, he had to admit that the girl who had a headband with cat ears surprised him – Kiku made no mention of this priestess ever wearing anything of the sort, and he did mention Kagome had a cat on an off note.

The blue-eyed girl looked to the direction of the house when a soft scratching sounded on the wood – it didn't take long for a meow to make its way through the door, accompanying the scratching. Leaving the tea kettle on the medium flame, she made her way to the front door to open it and look down at the cat to see why it was at her door.

Kagome's eyes widened and her eyebrows rose to what she felt was her hair line in surprise at the number of cats in front of her house. She stood there, frozen in shock, and the roughly five to ten cats seized this opportunity to enter the house in search for the Grecian (Kagome closed the door only after all the cats entered, following them and peeked into the living room at Heracles surrounded by cats).

Shifting out of potential sight, Kagome made her way back to the kitchen, leaning her lower back against the counter as she tried to understand why Buyo was so calm with all of the other cats in her house and why the presumably stray cats were looking just for Heracles. Biting her lip, she recalled when he stared at her cat ears, glancing at the not yet hot water; leaving to make her way to her room as quietly as she could without disturbing her guest.

Heracles looked to all the cats that suddenly surrounded him, having a feeling that Kagome let them inside or they might have found an open window to crawl through. Her alternated between petting the cats around him and on his shoulders with the one in his lap, wondering if the tea was done and why this person was so precious to Japan – she seemed so young, then again France was close with Joan D'arc and she was young as well, a tad younger than his hostess if he had to guess.

Looking to the ceiling, it wasn't hard to hear the creaking of the boards above – just what was the priestess doing? It didn't take long for him to get his answer (her rapid foot falls were heard as she rushed downstairs to the whistling tea kettle) as she made her way into the living room, setting the tray with the cups, tea and all else on it on the coffee table.

Heracles looked up at her shocked when he felt her hands brush his hand and feeling the familiar feel of a headband on his head. Kagome pulled her hands back, and smiled at the Grecian, "You were staring at my ears and with all the cats attracted to you, I figured, why not?"

She took her seat across from the olive-skinned male, making herself tea and then his, since he was covered with cats – making it to what he wanted.

::-::

Kagome waved to the man as he left a few hours later, small smile on her face and her cat by her feet (the small army of cats that entered her house not much longer after him, trailed after the Grecian). He took his dear sweet time leaving and disappearing down the shrine steps, and while he was still in her line of site, Kagome made sure to keep the feel of his person – his aura – ingrained in her memory.

When he did leave her field of vision, the miko closed the front door, Buyo rubbing against her ankle and gave a soft meow for food. The headband-wearing teenager looked down to her cat, "I fed you earlier! I don't need you getting any bigger than you already are."

The two engaged in a small staring contest, before Kagome found herself bending to her feline friend's will, making her way to the kitchen to get a can of cat food for her calico – putting it in her dish where the feline happily inhaled it. Kagome sighed as she watched her cat, "Don's choke now, Buyo…"

Looking towards the front of the house, she made her way to her room to change out of the traditional apparel; her face donned a sour look, _'Japan really should not talk about me or the shrine. That's the fifth country that's visited this month. And I want my headbands back – from Honda-san and Karpusi-san.'_

_**Fin**_

**

* * *

**

I cannot think of anything new for Amaranth, and I been reduced to jumbled random one-shots. This is the first of many to be added to my stories. Kudos to whoever recognizes the song I took the part from that Stephen Lynch sings (It's on his album _The Craig Machine_).


	2. Chapter 2

_Inuyasha_ © Takahashi, Rumiko  
_Hetalia – Axis Powers_ © Himaruya, Hidekaz

"_Kylie won't kiss my friend Cassandra  
Jessica won't play ball  
Mandy won't share her friend Miranda  
Doesn't anybody live at all?" –Porn Star Dancing by My Darkest Days_

* * *

Smoothing the puffed skirt, her hands travelled around her waist to the bow resting at her lower back; tugging at it to secure and check it. The dress was a light lilac hue, the apron and frills of the Lolita dress an innocent white – her head donned a similar head accessory mirroring a headband that was lilac with white frills on either side of it. White knee-high socks were accented by the bows on the outsides of her legs, matching the dress.

Kagome felt that the house slipped clashed, yet went with her outfit in an odd way.

Her small hands ran through the thick mane of her hair, catching any tangles and provided a quick touch-up; she liked wearing her outfits whenever she was tasked with cleaning the inside of the house and storage house. It was like a pair of shoes almost, the miko was breaking in her clothes.

The minutes ticked by at their own pace as she worked around the house, preferring to start at the storage to get it over with; however, Kagome was hesitant to drag in any unnecessary dust into her mother's home. A tickling at the edges of her senses not long after alerted her to, yet again, another country coming to visit her (she really needs to be stricter with her own, now that she thought of it).

Sighing, she set down the rag she was using to dust in the tight corners of the rooms, folding it so that the dust was on the inside and not touching anything already cleaned, the miko made her way to the front door; fully aware of what this would look like to whatever country decided to grace her with their presence. Hand on the doorknob, the blue-eyed girl hesitated a moment, thinking back to all the other five countries that bugged her in reverse order (not including her own nation).

Greece, Heracles Karpusi – nice, but definitely a cat lover to the extreme, and it seemed like he was a fan of history (Kagome made a mental note that should he visit again, to talk about the Feudal Era; she only brushed over her nation's history before letting him talk about his and his mother's history).

England, Arthur Kirkland – a strict gentleman, a tsundere and conversed with her on the Sight, having been delighted on meeting another person that believed in the supernatural and had expressed an interest with her own miko ki when she explained it to him (Kagome gave a wry smile, _'If only he knew how in-depth I knew of the supernatural.'_)

America, Alfred F Jones – a loudmouth. Kagome was almost tempted to slap him, but had tugged on his ahoge, and in return, was given a strange reaction; the blond ended up dropping his hamburgers on the floor she took time to clean (The blue-eyed teenager still wanted to know why he had reacted that way, especially since he reacted like the Italian brothers.).

Italy Romano, Lovino Vargas – he was… Kagome couldn't really come up with an accurate enough adjective, but had the nagging feeling that he was trying to impress and hit on her, only to be thwarted by his younger brother. The two were adorable overall, though it was awkward applying the term to the older one, but it was easy to tag onto the younger one.

Italy Veneziano, Feliciano Vargas – a pasta-lover, but then again, so was his brother (only with tomatoes added, since he carried around a few for no apparent reason). Kagome liked their eyes the best, it reminded her of Sesshōmaru's own honey-gold irises, though theirs weren't as enchanting as the Daiyoukai's own. The conversation with them was pleasant, though bringing up a Germany irritated the darker-haired twin.

Squaring her shoulders as whoever was visiting knocked on the door, she opened it to have a rose shoved into her immediate line of vision. Gingerly accepting the flora, the miko was able to see that she had two visitors instead of one – what looked to be a Frenchman and a… Spaniard? Honestly, she couldn't tell and had to wait until he introduced himself to really be sure.

"Um… hello?"

"Bonjour, ma petite Lolita; I am Francis Bonnefoy."

"Hola~ I'm Antonio Carriedo Fernandez."

'_So I was right about him being a Spaniard.'_

Kagome made a motion to introduce herself, but Francis put a finger to her lips, "Non, Japan has already told us your name, so there will be no need to introduce yourself, Lolita."

She moved to get his finger off of her mouth, "All right. Would you to like to come in?"

"Oui."

"Si."

The miko moved aside and let them view what was her mother's home, taking in their appearance while they made themselves at home. Her observation was interrupted by the blond Frenchman coming up behind her and blatantly groping her breasts. Kagome's eyes widened as she was shell-shocked taking a few minutes to register what was happening to her, _'What the…'_

Coming to, the shorter female wriggled to get out of his grasp, however it was more difficult than she realized (then again, they were only human-appearing.) but managed to complete her feat after about a minute. Lightly panting, the miko brushed off her clothing, flushing hotly over the bridge of her nose and cheek bones – giving a wary eye to the blond who gave her a charming smile in return.

There was a sinking feeling in her gut that this particular visit was going to be a difficult one to swallow with – what she learned later was two – perverts.

::-::

Deciding between the two, the teenage deemed Antonio to be the lesser of the two evils that she had let into her house. The first half of the visit was her explaining a bit about herself to the duo at their insistence, before requesting the same in return. However, the seemingly decent atmosphere was deteriorated when France had decided to try and undress her to see just what it was that her body looked like.

That was when Kagome devised a plan to lock the blond outside, courtesy of being a good hostess be damned. She had to deal with Miroku's groping (that soon focused solely on Sango) and asking of women to bear his children (that, once again, focused solely on Sango) for a few years that was enough for one lifetime – unfortunately, she dragged Spain into helping her lock the Frenchman outside with the bull and six birds that arrived not too much long after they had (the miko came to learn that it was Spain's and he merely named it 'Bull' and he informed her that all the birds were named 'Pierre'.)

Antonio's perversion wasn't a obvious as Francis' outright and blunt kind – Kagome wasn't even sure that she would really call the Spaniard a pervert, per say, but he did seem to hit on her (she thinks that he was trying to be subtle…).

Despite that, he was fun to be around with his carefree attitude and fun personality that she could open up to – she managed to get him talking about when Romano was his colony and lived with him. The miko smiled to herself, finding that she envisioned a more note-worthy version of the older Italian deserving of the term 'adorable.' He also spoke of when the younger Italian was also a child and how many thought of him as a girl – Kagome really wanted to meet the two when they were that age now…

Sighing, she leaned back on the couch she and Antonio were seated on, looking up to the ceiling above the duo – wondering where Francis was since he wasn't trying to communicate in French to them through the window in the room she was in. Looking over to her companion, she had to ask, "Where did France go?"

"Eh?" Antonio tilted his head and looked thoughtful, "No clue, but would there be any open windows?"

Kagome paled as she realized that she left her window open – she swore she could hear the faint stereotypical French laugh coming from upstairs...

* * *

**This seems to be more of a reivew one-shot of the other countries that visited and what happened between Kagome and Greece in the previous one. These are inter-connected, so don't be surprised to see references to other one-shots in any of the upcoming ones. I apologise if this one seems to be a bit boring, I'm still getting used to writing France and Spain.**


	3. Chapter 3

_Inuyasha _© Takahashi, Rumiko  
_Hetalia – Axis Powers_ © Himaruya, Hidekaz

* * *

The day being Sunday, the warmth and softness of her bed and pillow were too tempting for Kagome – she didn't want to get up that day until a little while later. The light pink mob cap on her head slowly inched its way off of her mussed hair, soon to be lost among the covers of the same hue (she ended up keeping the same sheets she had during the end of middle school and all throughout high school; it save her mother money having to buy new ones). The sun streamed through leaves of the Goshinboku and made it to her bedside.

Kagome buried her head deeper into her pillow before it was futile and she sat up in her light pink nightgown with red and blue bows tied on it. Groggily, she grabbed her hat and pushed it back on her head, one hand leaving her head to rub her closed eyes with the back of her fist. Yawning, her eyes cracked open, looking around her, bypassing the cowering beige-haired male in her room and she wondered what she was going to be wearing now that she was awake.

Wait. The miko looked at the cowering male, what was he doing here?

Kagome stared at him, vaguely noting that he had the same feel as all the other nations she met, _'Great. This one doesn't even announce himself, he just appears.'_

The large male opened his eyes, violet eyes staring into her blue ones, "Privet."

"H-hello?" The teenager blinked a few times, "Um… what are you doing in my room exactly?"

The large man grimaced at the question, "Belarus followed me here."

'_Belarus?'_ "Might I know your name?" Kagome tried to be as polite as she could to this unusual event. The man smiled, "I'm Ivan Braginski – Russia."

"Oh. And who's Belarus?"

Ivan lost his smile, "Natalia Arlovskaya, my sister… she won't stop stalking me…"

Kagome felt sympathetic for Russia, "Okay. Would you like anything? Tea or oden, maybe?"

The violet-eyed male regained his smile, "I'm curious about this oden. May I have that, please?"

The miko brightened, "Of course!"

She got up off of the bed, and straightened her nightgown designed after Patchouli Knowledge's outfit from _Touhou Project_; walking to her door before Ivan stopped her, his large hand dwarfing her shoulder as well as towering over her by a near foot, "I'd be careful. Natalia is down there. She was pounding on your bedroom door earlier. Luckily she didn't break off the doorknob."

Kagome blanched, _'How the hell did I sleep through all that?'_

She nodded, acknowledging the warning that she was given, before Ivan backed away and sat in between her bed and desk, hunching over in a way that made him seem like he was trying to blend in with her room. There was no one in the hallway, but she could feel her paranoia rising as she glanced this way and that for this Belarus. Every time she stepped on a creaky floorboard, the miko flinched.

Reaching the top of the stairs, her mother greeted at the bottom cheerfully, "Ah, Kagome. Good afternoon, have you met our guests, yet?"

Kagome blinked, "Only one. How many guests do we have?"

"Three."

"Three? Are the other two down here, then?"

Her mother looked over to the kitchen, "Of course. You're just in time for oden. Why don't you go get our other guest?"

Kagome nodded, "All right."

She took her time making her way back to her room, pretty sure that her mother was not aware of the man in hiding in her room from his own sister – if she had known, her mother would have forced him out of there; having respect for her daughter's privacy. Opening her door, the beige-haired male looked up from his spot on the floor, playing with Buyo who had entered the room when she left, "Did you not find Natalia?"

Kagome shook her head, "No, but my mother is making oden. She sent me to find you." _'I'm surprised that you managed to hide in my room. Usually someone notices if people come near my room – momma's mother instinct, Souta's suspicion of males he doesn't know, and grandpa's overall paranoia of any male not related to us.'_

Russia perked up at this, though his eyes showed his indecisiveness to go down and face his sister. Kagome tilted her head to the side as Ivan left the calico alone and stood up from his crouched position, "Who else came with you besides Natalia?"

The large male blinked, "Oh yes, my older sister Yekaterina. She's the representation of the nation Ukraine."

The older teenager made a face of understanding, motioning for the representation of the country Russia to follow her to the dining room. The silence between the duo was silent; Kagome couldn't help but notice how quiet the larger man was when walking – you'd think he'd at least make some sort of noise—she was rewarded when the stairs gave light creaks when trekking down them.

Entering the dining room (still in her nightgown), Kagome caught sight of her brother trying to discretely stare at the short platinum-haired woman's large chest and then a longer platinum-haired girl that looked about her age glare at her before getting up from her seat and making her way passed Kagome to cling to Ivan's arm. She was a bit envious of the long-haired female's willingness to be open about who she apparently loved.

Looking away from them, the miko made her way over to her seat at the table, turning her attention to the short-haired woman (that her brother stopped ogling at to stare at the table when his sister sat at the table) who was seated next to her usual seat, "Konnichi wa."

"P-pryvit..."

_'She seems shy. It's adorable.'_

::-::

Blue eyes watched the trio leave a few hours later, swearing that Ukraine's chest made noise as it bounced while she walked. Kagome pulled off her cap, holding it between her hands before making her way inside – intent on taking a shower (compared to the day prior with the Frenchman and Spaniard, these three seemed relatively tame; then again, her family was home).

Russia paused and sent one of his typical creepy smiles to the back of the miko (to which, he noticed with satisfaction, that she paused and shivered).

* * *

**This one seems a bit rushed, however, I was unable to think of much for it. :/ Sorry about that.**


	4. Chapter 4

_Hetalia – Axis Powers_ © Himaruya, Hidekaz  
_Inuyasha_ © Takahashi, Rumiko

* * *

Setting the tea down in front of the quiet male, Kagome fixed her skirt as she took a seat across from him, setting her own tea down. The brown-eyed male mutely took the offered tea and allowed himself a sip of it, "Arigatou, Higurashi-san."

"Kagome, please. 'Higurashi-san' reminds me of 'kaa-san, Kiku-kun."

The short black-haired male faintly flushed, but nodded – receiving a bright smile from one of his favourite citizens. The silence that blanketed them was peaceful, leaving the two of them to their own thoughts. Though the day was overcast, it didn't deter the miko any as she was soon giving a tour of the shrine to her guest, the nation of Japan. Just the concept of there being personifications of the nations themselves was a bit mind-boggling to Kagome, however, she spent a good few years battling youkai with a ragtag group of unlikely people.

Gently tugging on the male's hand, the blue-eyed female brought him over to the Goshinboku tree (Buyo wasn't far behind the pair as she knew that follow them would warrant attention and ear strokes).

::-::

_The sounds of the heavy traffic didn't allow Kagome to lose herself in her thoughts. The defeat of Naraku occurred not even a month ago,and she had been on bed rest like the rest of the Inu tachi that had fought in the battle. The miko doubted that Sesshōmaru rested after the battle, having left once the Shikon was completed (after the majority of it had been retrieved from the ashes of the vile hanyou)._

_The time spent resting didn't seem real to Kagome, the sheer peace that was created from defeat of Naraku was like a dream (except for the other youkai out there, but not including them at this point). However, all must good things had to come to an end and Kagome was forced to stay in her own time, but not before some tearful good-byes between her and her surrogate family._

_That day she felt as if she lost a part of herself, but kept reminding herself that it was for the better if she left and took the Shikon with her to prevent being killed by demons who still lust after its power. _

_Staring into the darkened depths of the Bone Eater's well, Kagome looked over her shoulder at her silent companion. Inuyasha had thrown a temper tantrum at her leaving, and so his older half-brother took it upon himself to accompany her to the well that was still in existence in her time. Standing up, she made her way to the inu youkai, grasping one of his hands in hers, "Arigatou, Sesshōmaru-sama."_

_The silver-haired man gave a soft, almost inaudible sound, that just made it to her very human ears, "It was in this Sesshōmaru's best interest to not allow the Shikon to fall into a youkai's hands and for another Naraku to arise."_

_Looking up to him, blue eyes teared up as she read between the lines, one tear escaping her eye – the bright smile on her lips contradicting, "I hope to see you five hundred years from now."_

"_Hn."_

"_Sayonara."_

_With that, Kagome didn't look back as she jumped into the well, the blue magic caressing her as she traveled forward through time. Goosebumps littered her skin as the cool magic hit exposed sensitive skin, but warmth spread through her quickly when her feet hit solid ground._

_Looking up and meeting the darkened room of the shrine over the Bone Eater's well, the reality finally set in – she was home._

::-::

Japan looked over to his blue-eyed citizen, , her hand clutching his as they stood there in front of the Goshinboku tree. He wanted to say something, however, he kept it to himself. The pink bauble around her neck shimmered as his brown eyes traveled to it – already knowing the story behind the artifact.

His dull brown eyes widened as he was forced into a hug by the young adult, stuttering as a deep flush was dusted over the bridge of his nose and cheekbones, "K-Kagome-san?"

The miko buried her face in the crook of the personified nation's neck and shoulder, arms wrapped securely around his shoulders, "You remind me of my friends, Kiku-kun."

::-::

_Hand petting the small dog's head brought tears to the miko's eyes as the simple fact that it was a dog reminded her of her demonic friends – Inuyasha and Sesshōmaru (though she was calling the Daiyoukai such on relatively loose terms) – and the dog licked her hand that had stopped petting its head in between his ears. One of the tears fell from her eyes, 'You're utterly adorable."_

_The time escaped Kagome as she was seated on the bench in a nearby park close to her family's shrine and the dog at her feet looked up at her curiously (and a tad expectantly to be given attention again).The crisp spring air cleared her head and she was able to lose herself in her memories (the rare ones that could be invoked from something as small as the air – especially with how polluted the air was compared to Sengoku Jidai)._

_Wiping the tears from her face (that had fallen during her thinking), she looked down at the Shiba puppy, giving it the attention it deserved for just sitting at her feet for so long. Wagging its tail, Kagome rubbed her forearm as it developed goosebumps (if she took a moment to scan the area, she would have noticed a man about her height come into the park). About to pet the puppy, it left her and she watched as it made its way to the man that had entered the park._

_Her pupils dilated as she focused on him, taking in the weird presence he had – he looked human, but felt much older than he appeared (he certainly wasn't a youkai or else he powers would sent off warning bells in her head.). Her blue eyes locked with his dull brown ones, why did she feel like she knew him? It didn't make any sense, but her body was working on autopilot and her feet brought her to the man about five or so centimetres taller than her._

"_Konnichi wa." Kagome gave him a small bow in greeting, before he gave her a greeting and bow back. She cocked her head at him, mouth moving before she could get a hold of it, "What are you? You look human, but you're older than that..."_

_The man was able to catch the mumbled sentence after the question, easily startling before a realization came over his face, "Gomen nasai, Higurashi-san."_

_Kagome's eyes widened as she took in the crown of the man's head from his second bow, watching as he straightened himself once again, "How do you know my surname?"_

_The black-haired male looked off to his side momentarily while he subtly shifted his weight from one foot to another, looking like he was at a lost of what to say next, "You're travels are to be commemorated for ridding of the vile hanyou."_

_The miko felt faint, heart pounding in her chest as the blood sounded as it made its way through her veins and arteries. No one knew of her travels to the past except for her family, but she already knew that they wouldn't tell a soul of what she did for a good three-and-a-half, four years. She nibbled her bottom lip as a tense silence befell the two of them before finding her voice, "Where did yo get that information?"_

_The brown-eyed male brought his hands up in a calm down gesture, easily see that her emotions were starting to get riled up, "Allow me to explain, Higurashi-san."_

"_Please do."_

_The man looked over to the bench that she had vacated, "It'd be better to receive such information while sitting."_

_Kagome eyed the bench, but followed him to it (the Shiba puppy trailing after him happily), feeling like he was stalling (though there was an inclining of honest in what he spoke). The man sighed as the two of them rested on the bench, Kagome was looking at him expectantly as she picked up the small dog and placed it in her lap. He looked over at her, ready to explain, "First of all, I am Honda Kiku. That's my human name. I'm what you would call a humanoid country."_

_Kagome's hand stilled on the puppy's head, "Nani?"_

"_I am the counrty of Japan, Higurashi-san."_

"_T-that doesn't..."_

"_You've fought youkai, hanyou and even went into the afterlife for the Shikon no Tama."_

_The miko bit her lip, tying her best to absorb the information that was just revealed to her. Kiku looked down at his hands folded neatly in his lap, "You can't tell anyone of our existence, only our bosses know that we are the representations of the countries."_

_Kagome nodded, hand shakily petting the man's dog, "All right."_

_Japan looked over to the young adult, 'She seems to have taken the information well.'_

::-::

"I need to get my costume done." the miko bemoaned into the man's shoulder, Kiku awkwardly patted her shoulder. He looked at her mane of black hair, "Costume?"

Kagome took her face out of his shoulder and unwrapped herself from him, "Yeah, it's a cat maid costume."

Japan's blush that had dimmed came back with a vengeance, "C-at maid?"

"Mhm. I'm going over a friend's house with it once it's completed and we're going to be wearing our costumes."

"D-do you think that when it's done, I could get a few pictures?"

Kagome blinked, but gave the personified nation a bright smile, "I don't see why not~"

Kiku nodded to the verbal consent, in a mental debate of whether or not make a manga of his citizen dressed up as such. HE startled when he heard the miko continue talking, "I also have a new Lolita costume planned, as well as costumes for various people from games, anime, and whatnot."

Japan felt his resolve against doing a manga featuring the young adult shatter before dissolving – vowing that once he did do it, that he would make sure not to let them fall into her hands.

::-::

Back at his home, Kiku almost couldn't looked at the page as he drew his (personal favourite) citizen in such outfits for a new manga that he had a feeling would circulate amoung the other countries.

* * *

**Gah! Took me a while, this one's mainly filled with flashbacks, however, it's how Kagome first came to know of the countries and how the countries (sort of) came to know of her. There was a review that questioned how Kagome came to know of the countries, how Naraku was killed, and all that. Hopefully, this chapter answers those questions.**


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